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HomeMy WebLinkAboutG47-11 Ordinance No. G47-11 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 2.40 OF THE ELGIN MUNICIPAL CODE, 1976, AS AMENDED, ENTITLED "FIRE DEPARTMENT" WHEREAS, incidents requiring fire and other emergency services response activities continue to increase each year; and, WHEREAS,compliance with regulations and requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency,the Department of Homeland Security, and other governmental entities involve additional equipment and training that create additional demands on all operational aspects of fire department services; and, WHEREAS,the City of Elgin has investigated different methods of maintaining a high level of quality with respect to fire and other emergency services capability throughout times of constantly increasing service demands; and, WHEREAS, maintaining an effective response by the fire department of the City of Elgin decreases the cost of incidents to individuals, businesses,and insurance carriers through timely and effective management of emergency situations, saving lives, and reducing property and environmental damage; and, • WHEREAS, increasing property taxes to meet the increases in service demands would not be equitable to property owners when a portion of those taxes is already utilized to provide for such services; many of the motor vehicle incidents and other emergency services provided by the fire department involve individuals not owning property or paying taxes in the City of Elgin; and the ability of the fire department to effectively respond decreases the liability of insurance companies by saving lives and minimizing property and environmental damage; and; WHEREAS, the City Council desires to establish and implement a program to collect mitigation rates for the deployment of certain emergency services by the fire department of the City of Elgin for services provided and/or rendered by the fire department; and, WHEREAS, the City of Elgin is a home rule unit pursuant to Article VII Section 6 of the Illinois Constitution; and, WHEREAS, as a home rule unit the City of Elgin may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs including, but not limited to, the power to regulate for the protection of the public health, safety, morals and welfare, and the power to abate public nuisances; and, WHEREAS,an ordinance providing for the collection of mitigation rates for the deployment of certain fire and emergency services by the fire department pertains to the government and affairs • of the City of Elgin and is in the best interest of the citizens of the City of Elgin. • NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS: Section 1. That Chapter 2.40 of the Elgin Municipal Code, 1976, as amended, entitled "Fire Department" be and is hereby amended by creating a new section 2.40.225, entitled "Mitigation Rates for Certain Emergency Services," to read as follows: "2.40.225: MITIGATION RATES FOR CERTAIN EMERGENCY SERVICES The city hereby establishes cost mitigation rates for the deployment of certain emergency services by the fire department of the city for services provided and/or rendered, including the provision of personnel, supplies and equipment to the scene of motor vehicle incidents and other emergency incidents as provided below,which are based on the actual costs of the services and those costs that are usual, customary and reasonable (UCR): A. MOTOR VEHICLE INCIDENTS Level 1 - $435.00 Provision of hazardous materials assessment, scene stabilization and basic response services. • Level 2 - $495.00 Includes provision of Level 1 services, as well as clean up and material used (sorbents) for hazardous fluid clean-up and disposal. Billing at this Level will occur if the fire department of the city must clean up any gasoline or other automotive fluids that are spilled as a result of the accident/incident. Level 3 - $605.00 Relating to a car fire, provision of scene safety, fire suppression, breathing air, rescue tools, hand tools, hose, tip use, foam, exposure protection, and clean-up of gasoline or other automotive fluids that are spilled as a result of the accident/incident. Level 4 - $1,800.00 Includes provision of Levels 1 and 2 services, as well as extrication(heavy rescue tools, ropes,airbags,cribbing,etc.). Billing at this Level will occur if the fire department of the city is required to free/remove anyone from the vehicle(s)using any powered equipment. Billing at this Level will not occur if the person to be extricated is unconscious or unable to move and the fire department is able to open a door to the vehicle to access and safely remove the person. • i • Level 5 - $2,200.00 Includes provision of Levels 1, 2 and 4 services as well as Air Care (multi-engine company response, mutual aid, helicopter). Billing will occur at this Level any time a helicopter is utilized to transport the patient(s). Level 6 —Itemized Response (Billed to Residents and Non-Residents As Appropriate) In the case of an unusual incident,the fire department of the city may bill each incident as an independent incident with actual costs and/or customary mitigation rates using itemized rates deemed usual, customary and reasonable (UCR). Such incidents will be billed using itemized amounts for apparatus and personnel,plus products and equipment used. B. HAZMAT Level 1 - Basic Response - $700.00 Provision of basic response services including engine response, first responder assignment, perimeter establishment, evacuations, set-up and command. Level 2 - Intermediate Response - $2,500.00 Includes provision of Level 1 services as well as hazmat certified team and appropriate equipment,Level A or B suit donning,breathing air,detection equipment,and set-up and removal of decon center as necessary. Level 3 - Advanced Response - $5,900.00 (Includes 3 hours of on-scene time — each additional hour in excess of 3 Hours is $300.00 per HAZMAT Team) Includes provision of Levels 1 and 2 services as well as robot deployment, recovery and identification of material, disposal and environmental clean-up. Also includes any disposal rates for contaminated equipment and material used at scene. C. PIPELINE INCIDENTS/POWER LINE INCIDENTS (Includes,but not limited to: Gas, Sewer, Septic to Sewer, and Water Pipelines) Level 1 —Basic Response - $400.00 Provision of basic response services including engine response, first responder assignment, perimeter establishment, evacuations, first responder set-up and command. Also includes inspection without damage or breakage. Level 2 - Intermediate Response - $1,000.00 • Includes provision of Level 1 services as well as hazmat certified team and appropriate equipment, Level A or B suit donning, breathing air, detection equipment, and the supervision and/or assisting of pipeline repair. Level 3 - Advanced Response - Itemized Claim Charges Includes provision of Levels 1 and 2 services as well as supervision and or assisting of intermediate to major pipeline damage, set-up and removal of decon center, detection, recovery and identification of material, disposal and environmental clean-up. D. FIRE INVESTIGATION Fire Investigation Team - $275.00 per hour. Fire investigation services include scene safety, investigation, source identification, K- 9/Arson Dog Unit, identification equipment,mobile detection equipment and fire report. The claim begins when the fire investigator or investigation team responds to the incident and is billed for logged time only. E. FIRES Assignment - $400.00 per hour, per engine/$500.00 per hour, per truck Fire services include scene safety, investigation, and fire/hazard control. F. WATER INCIDENTS (Billed to Non-Residents Only) Level 1 - Basic Response - $400.00 plus $50.00 per hour, per rescue person Provision of basic response services including engine response, first responder assignment, perimeter establishment,evacuations, first responder set-up and command, scene safety and investigation (including possible patient contact and hazard control). Level 2 - Intermediate Response - $800.00 plus $50.00 per hour, per rescue person Provision of Level 1 services as well as clean-up and material used (sorbents), minor hazardous clean-up and disposal. Billing will occur at this Level if the fire department of the city must clean up small amounts of gasoline or other fluids that are spilled as result of the incident. Level 3 —Advanced Response - $2,000.00 plus $50.00 per hour, per rescue person and $100.00 per hour per HAZMAT team member. Provision of Levels 1 and 2 services as well as D.A.R.T. activation, donning breathing • apparatus, detection equipment, set up and removal of decon center, recovery and identification of material, and disposal and environment clean up. Also includes any disposal rates of contaminated equipment and material used at scene. Level 4 —Itemized Response In the case of an unusual incident,the fire department of the city may bill each incident as an independent incident with actual costs and/or customary mitigation rates using itemized rates deemed usual, customary and reasonable (UCR). Such incidents will be billed using itemized amounts for each trained rescue person plus rescue products and equipment used. G. SPECIAL RESCUE Itemized Response — Minimum of $400.00 per hour, per emergency response; plus $50.00 per hour, per rescue person. Each incident will be billed in accordance with actual costs and/or customary mitigation rates using itemized rates deemed usual, customary and reasonable (''UCR"), subject to the minimum amounts set forth above. Such incidents will be billed using itemized amounts for each apparatus and each trained rescue person per hour,plus rescue products and equipment used. • H. CHIEF RESPONSE Itemized response - $250.00 per hour. Chief response services will be charged when the Fire Chief for the fire department of the city directly responds to an incident, including the set-up of command and providing direction of the operations, safety, and administration of the incident. I. IMPLEMENTATION AND PROCEDURES 1. The mitigation rates above are flat fees,except for itemized responses;and have been determined to be usual, customary and reasonable for the incident responses listed. The mitigation rates were determined by itemizing costs for a typical incident(from the time a fire apparatus leaves the station until it returns to the station)and are based on the actual costs, using amortized schedules for apparatus (including useful life, equipment, repairs, and maintenance) and labor rates (based upon an average department's "actual personnel expense," and not just a firefighter's basic wage). The actual personnel expense includes costs such as wages, retirement, benefits, workers' compensation, insurance, etc. When a claim is submitted, it will be itemized and based on the actual services provided in accordance with the above rates. • • 2. The mitigation rates shall represent an additional cost of the claim for damages of the vehicles, property and/or injuries, and shall be filed with the insurance carrier of the owner of the vehicle, owner of the property, or the responsible party(ies) as set forth above. In some circumstances, the responsible party will be billed directly. 3. The costs and mitigation rates set forth in this section shall not be charged to any person that is a resident of the City of Elgin at the time of the incident for which the charges were incurred. a. For the purposes of this section, a"resident" is defined as the following: (i) any person that maintains his or her permanent residence within the corporate limits of the City of Elgin; (ii) any person that is the majority owner of a business that operates from real property that is owned by the business and located within the City of Elgin; or(iii)any business that operates from real property that is owned by the business and located within the City of Elgin. b. For the purposes of this section, a"business" includes any joint stock company; corporation, association, joint venture, limited liability company, club or partnership, whether for-profit or not-for-profit. 4. Responses involving intoxicated drivers, hazmat clean-up, intentional or negligent acts, or any act that violates any local, state or federal law or regulation, may be subject to all applicable mitigation rates regardless of residency. Section 2. That all ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with the provisions of this ordinance be and are hereby repealed. Section 3. That this ordinance shall be in full force and effect upon its passage and publication in the manner provided by law. David J. Kapt6K, M or Presented: November 16, 2011 Passed: November 16, 2011 Omnibus Vote: Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 Recorded: November 16, 2011 Published: November 18, 2011 • Attest: ,pies auM�� 0 t F, Kimberly De",, City Clerk